Trump 2020 campaign spent 20 per cent of its money on legal fees during the first quarter of the year

President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign has focused roughly 20 per cent of its spending in the first three months of the year on legal fees, according to fist quarter campaign finance filings.

The president’s re-election campaign spent roughly $835,0000 for legal consulting with eight firms and the the Trump Corporation during the first three months of the year, the filings show.

The Federal Election Commission filings, dated Sunday, show that the campaign spent about $347,000 with the law firm Jones Day, and just over $93,000 to the law firm Charles Harder, which is representing the president in his legal dealings with adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who alleges that she had a brief affair with Mr Trump in 2006.

The hundreds of thousands in legal fees were paid out during a three-month period in which the president has faced down what appears to be intensifying investigations stemming from special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe, and other scandals that have plagued the Trump presidency.

That includes a recent raid on Mr Trump’s personal attorney’s office, home, and hotel room last week in which federal investigators took dozens of electronic devices and documents. The attorney, Michael Cohen, paid Daniels $130,000 just before the 2016 election in return for her signing a non-disclosure agreement.

Mr Trump and Mr Cohen deny that the president was had an affair with Daniels. Mr Trump has said that he was not aware of the $130,000 payment.

Mr Cohen has admitted to the payment, but has indicated it was done without Mr Trump’s knowledge.

All told, the Trump campaign raised $10.1 million in the first three months of 2018, and had $28.3 million in the bank at the end of that period.

The filings show that the campaign is no stranger to spending campaign cash at businesses owned by the Trump family, either.

All told, roughly $150,000 was spent at Trump facilities, including $68,000 at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, and $58,000 for rent at Trump plaza, Trump restaurants, and Trump Tower, where the campaign housed its main offices in 2016.